Many commercial playground toys exist that provide educational and recreational activities for groups of children. However, after reviewing the prior art, none can be re-assembled from a ball with an inner cavity for hiding or rolling, to a rocking-chaise, to a floor cushion for leaning, while leaving open the possibilities for other assemblies, thus asking the child to think creatively about his/her environment. The prior art prescribes defined uses among a defined number of children. What is needed is a toy that can be reconfigured into different forms of furniture that may be used by one or two children, or a group of children, while encouraging children to think creatively and to cooperate together in constructing them.
Much of the prior art discloses wedge-shaped cushions with fasteners designed for uses such as safety, physiotherapy, or plumbing. None of these cushions features a trapezoidal-like section. Furthermore, a child may enjoy using the present invention while using only one or a portion of the full assembly of cushions for a plurality of creative uses, while the prior art require using all elements of the assembly for one prescribed use. Furthermore, the disclosed wedge-shaped cushions contain only flat faces, while the present invention contains flat faces and curved surfaces, whereby providing more organic and ergonomic forms.
The invention is an improvement over the prior art because it is a toy that provides added educational value. It encourages children to consider different types of play activities, and explore different types of ergonomic interactions between their bodies and the furniture.